The short story A Small, Good Thing by Raymond Carver tells of two American parents dealing with their son's hospitalisation and death as the result of a hit-and-run car accident. The insensitive actions of their local baker add to their anger and confusion, yet by the end of the story, leave them with a sense of optimism and strength. With such content, Carver runs the risk of coming across as sentimental; however, this is not the case, and the anguish of the parents and their shock at the situation is expressed with dignity and understatement. It is a story with a broad appeal: the simple prose makes it accessible to a wide audience, while the complex themes and issues make it appealing to the educated reader. Written in Carver's characteristically minimalist style, the story poignantly evokes not only the trauma of the death of a child, but also the breakdown of communication and empathy in society. The plain and direct narrative style suits the content, conveying the lack of communication that is central to the narrative - between the parents, between the hospital staff, and with the baker. Critically, it is generally considered one of Carver's strongest short stories. It is a tale of isolation and of grief, but also of hope, and, with its fluid, pared-down style, clearly demonstrates why Carver is widely regarded as one of the greatest writers of the late 20th century.

On the surface, the story of A Small, Good Thing is simple and universal. Thirty-three-year-old Ann Weiss orders a cake for her son's Scotty's eighth birthday and is a little put off by the baker's cold attitude - "(he) was not jolly. There were no pleasantries between them, just the minimum exchange of words, the necessary information." However, she soon forgets all about both the baker and the cake when her son is hit by a car on the way to school and, though he initially seems fine, later collapses and is hospitalised. Although the doctors and hospital staff continue to reassure Ann and her husband that their son will be fine - "no coma, Dr. Francis had emphasized, no coma, when he saw the alarm in the parents eyes" - Scotty still does not wake up, and the situation becomes increasingly serious. At the same time, the parents are tormented by late-night phone calls from the baker - "Your Scotty, I got him ready for you Did you forget him?" - whose mysterious messages lead them to believe he is a psychopath, or the hit-and-run driver who put Scotty into a coma. Then, abruptly, Scotty dies - "the doctors called it a hidden occlusion and said it was a one-in-a-million circumstance." Numb and shaken, the parents return home - but after another taunting prank call, Ann realizes that it is the baker who has been calling, and confronts him in his store; he is instantly remorseful when he learns of the child's death, and offers Ann and Howard some cinnamon rolls - "a small, good thing in a time like this." His empathy helps the parents to deal with Scotty's death and to find some small measure of hope for the future.

On a deeper level, A Small, Good Thing is concerned with more complex themes and ideas. Central is the idea of communication, and lack of communication. Carver conveys the Weiss family as generally good people. They are a relatively close-knit, function well as a family, and are grateful for what they have - which we see, for example, in Ann choosing Scotty's favourite chocolate birthday cake, and in Howard reminiscing about his life - "He was happy and, so far, lucky - he knew that." They are, on the whole, a typical family; however, at the same time, the communication between the family members is lacking. Carver shows this in a subtle yet effective way. Firstly, Scotty has no direct dialogue in the story - literally, no communication. Secondly, early in the story, Scotty is not specifically referred to by name except indirectly; instead, he is called "the child," and "the birthday boy." It is not until later in the story, as the parents...

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Essay 1
A smallGoodthing
We often think life goes on as it should without many interruptions, each milestone is celebrated, and each disappointment is encouraged in families across the nation. When we think of children, we imagine watching them grow through all of the milestones and all of the accomplishments. We don't want to deal with losing our children to death particularly when we lose them in a tragic way by illness or in a blink of an eye. The William Wendt center states that “Everyone grieves in their own unique way; there is no "right way" to grieve. Grieving is not a sign of weakness or failure. It is not something to ignore or "get over." Grief is not something we deal with as a society; the compassion of family and friends helps us. At times compassion lends itself through a stranger, unexpected it helps us in the process of healing although we often never understand the reason why.
In Raymond Carver’s story A smallGoodthing, Ann and Howard live a relatively perfect life, living each day as a planned routine, Howard going to work each day and Ann taking care of the household duties and their son who they both love deeply. Howard and Ann are a relatively close knit family, from what the eye can see they function well together and are grateful for what they have, which we see for example, in Ann choosing Scotty’s favorite chocolate birthday cake. On Howard’s drive...

...﻿Samuel Adebayo
Professor Jennifer M Jakob
Literature 110
December 3, 2013
Response to (A SmallGoodThing by Raymond Carver)
Having read Diana’s take on this story, I totally agree with the fact that the story is that of isolation, loneliness, and connectedness. Raymond Carver uses this story to depict a classic example of how disjointed and lonely people could be. Many people have allowed themselves to be consumed by life’s circumstances, career, and education. Consequently, they are far removed from friends, families, and the society. Ann, Howard, and Scotty who are the main character in this story, seem to have a perfect family at the beginning of the story. Howard’s thought when driving home was never to encounter those destructive “forces” that could cause the downfall of a man. He never realizes the need for any other connection than the one he had with his son and wife. He believed that the comfort of his family is sufficient, and by so doing was isolated from the rest of society.
Another instance of isolation in the story is the life of the baker in the opening scene. He was very taciturn, did not want to hold conversations with Ann, and did not try to treat Scotty’s birthday as special. This quote by Raymond Carver “He made her feel uncomfortable, and she didn’t like that (2140)” depicts how distant and aloof the baker was from Ann; which makes her feel uncomfortable. These clues of how...

...Epiphany in A SmallGoodThing
In the story A SmallGoodThing by Raymond Carver there are many epiphanies the three main characters have. The one that stood out to me was the one that happened to the baker. Early in the story the baker had a small relationship with the mother, Ann. He was supposed to just be making a birthday cake for Scotty, Ann's son. While Scotty was in the hospital the cake was made but never picked up. The baker had every right to be mad that the cake would go to waste so he called the Weiss's house multiple times reminding them to get the cake, and saying they forgot him. Later when Howard and Ann went to the bakers shop they explained to the baker that Scotty had died and that he was very rude and cruel to be calling so often. At this moment the baker had his epiphany as to why the cake wasn't picked up. Since the baker never knew about Scotty's condition in the hospital this news was completely new and clarifying. He went from angry and confused to sad and empathetic for the family in a matter of seconds. The baker's lack of understanding is shown how he harrasses the family and calls regarding Scotty in a time of trouble and sorrow. Any person with a soul would not do that knowingly. This change of heart is caused by the Weiss family confronting him about the calls, which turned into a heart to heart about the loss of a loved one....

...“A Small, GoodThing”
“A small, goodthing” by Raymond Carver brings a lot of vivid images to mind for me. Even though the writing is minimalistic, the story came alive. The lack of description enabled me to read the story and project characters from my own life in the place of the ones the author had created. From the beginning of “A small, goodthing” I put my nephew, my niece, and my own son in the place of the boy in the story. The emotional tie to the stories outcome is what made me keep reading. For me, the meaning of the story is forgiveness. There is a family that has lost a beloved son, a baker who made a cake for someone who is yelling at him and refusing to pick up the cake, and a family waiting for their son to get out of surgery. The story follows Scotty’s mother as she deals with her son’s hospitalization. In the beginning the mother is very judgmental and alone in her pain, but throughout the story she opens up; first to her husband, and then to the baker. The reason I think the story is about forgiveness is that all the characters in the story must forgive to have the peace at the end. The mother and father must forgive the baker for his insensitive calls, and realize that he is a lonely man whose life revolves around the bakery. The baker must forgive the man and his wife for their anger and for not coming to pick up their cake....

...The short story “A Small, GoodThing” by Raymond Carver is about a life taken from a young child days prior to his birthday. Vivid images are forced through your mind and behind it all a lesson is to be learned of how smallthings are goodthings in due time. Through this narrative, the reader becomes acquainted with the agonizing pain a mother and father suffer from their tragic loss with their child. In Carver’s story, “A Small, GoodThing,” we are brought glimpses of the anxiety and are taught to realize how comfort and nourishment must be sought after in life.
Once the boy is admitted into the hospital we sense the anxiety driving erratically through the boys parents thoughts. “Will he be ok?” and “I want answers now!” are two vital thoughts we are left with unanswered by the medical team that are showing uncertainty. Theres nothing that can be done in certain situations and like we see with Scotty’s case only time will tell. You can only imagine how the mother and father’s thoughts grew more imaginative while hopes were taking a beating from the vague answers they keep receiving.
The time goes by and habitual actions including sustenance go astray from routine with the parents. No food or sleep takes a toll on the body only weakening and hurting yourself more. Once the parents come to find Scotty’s time has come to an...

...Tajaran 1
Jonjay Tajaran
English 101
Professor Heaney
March 04, 2015
A GoodThing, A Bad Thing
I’ll be discussing the similarities and differences of the story “A Small, GoodThing” and
“The Bath.” In the first story “A Small, GoodThing”, it is much more satisfying story because it
lets the reader’s experience the tragedy of Scotty's death as well as the redemption of the baker.
It also creates a greater sense of the tragedy because the story helps readers understand that
everyone in this story is a victim, the parents, the doctors, and the baker himself. The author also
includes a Negro family that can relate to the situation that the parents are in. In the second story
“The Bath”, It ends in a cliffhanger because leads to readers confused and dazed since they do
not know the outcome of Scotty’s death unknown. The husband’s name was never introduced
and the mother’s name was introduced towards the end of the story. The major differences in
these two versions of the same story “A Small, GoodThing and “The Bath” are the extension of
plot, point of view, and dialog.
There are other factors to the writing that increase the reader's interest in the first story.
First, the author gives all the characters names, a basic point that brings to readers closer to the ...

...Blessing in Disguise
Sometimes we go through things that will make us cry, laugh, or even hurt. As humans we tend to worry and stress over things we have no control over. But throughout it all, there is always a blessing waiting to be discovered that will help you overcome your burden. Life throws all kind of obstacles your way, whether you’re prepared for it or not. In Raymond Carver’s short story “A SmallGoodThing” it actually allows the reader to experience that. Carver skillfully pours out the emotions of Mr. and Mrs. Weiss, how happy one can be until something tragic happens, which test their faith, but some how gives them hope to push on.
In the beginning of Carver’s story, Mrs. Weiss is planning her son’s birthday party. She goes to the bakery to order Scotty’s cake. From that point everything was going good for the Weiss’s family. The Monday morning of Scotty’s birthday was the turning point of the couple’s life. “The birthday boy was walking to school with another boy […] without looking, the birthday boy stepped off the curb at an intersection and was immediately knocked down by a car” (Carver 6). That morning was life changing for Mr. and Mrs. Weiss, all the emotions a parent can have was within them, their child had been hit by a car and the only thing they could do was try not to worry. “Dr. Francis had emphasized, no coma, when he saw the alarm in the...